


Perfect

by R_Ravenscroft



Category: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 05:56:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17278358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R_Ravenscroft/pseuds/R_Ravenscroft
Summary: Wally gets Dick the perfect birthday present.





	Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> First attempt at posting a story here. But I saw a movie preview recently and this story just stuck in my head. I hope posting it will exorcise this particular demon. Could be read as gen or romantic, according to your preferences. Which is shocking actually, considering my fondness for slash.

“Wally, what is this?”  Dick asks as they pull up to the front of the movie theater. 

The cineplex was showing a dozen movies, none of which Dick and Wally had seen. They’re lives had been too busy with the Team and protecting their own cities. They had barely any time together lately.

“Rob,” Wally said, placing his arm across Dick’s shoulder as they walked into the cinema lobby, “It’s your birthday surprise!” he grinned. 

“Walls, my birthday isn’t till next month” Dick replied with a quizzical look and lopsided grin. “You know that, right?”  

“Yeah, but there’s a special premier tonight. It’s totally sold out, but Barry heard about it weeks ago and I managed to snag tickets.”  “And,” he added “the movie is just perfect for your birthday!”  

Wally was practically vibrating with excitement about scoring rare tickets to a special event early preview of a movie he was sure would be absolutely perfect for Dick.

Dick blinked, raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side - waiting for Wally to spill. 

“Dumbo!” Wally exclaimed spreading his hands and raising his arms in triumph!  “There’s a new version of Dumbo.”   “Circus movie! Flying elephants!  Crows singing silly songs!” he continued. “Disney!” 

Wally was grinning from ear to ear and Dick’s expression mirrored his.  Dick didn’t remember much about the original Dumbo movie.  It had been ages since he’d seen it. Probably not since he was a kid. But he did love elephants (Zitka had been his favorite), and circuses, naturally. 

It did sound perfect.

Wally squeezed his best friend’s shoulder before letting go and heading over to the ticket counter to pick up his pre-ordered tickets.   

“You’re gonna love it!”

Dick smiled and turned away to look at the large video screen that was playing previews of coming attractions and current movies.  Several people were gathered around watching the end of a trailer for the latest Avengers movie. _Thank goodness there isn’t a current Batman movie showing_ Dick mused. He always had a hard time keeping a straight face for those. 

As the next trailer started up the colors on the screen changed and darkened.  Dick felt drawn in as the image of a circus tent all in dark reds, mahoganies and muted blues appeared and filled the screen. The low lights inside the circus tent illuminated a ring-master’s platform, the performer’s rings and a few rows of empty seats where the audience would normally sit. The scene was vacant of any people and Dick felt a sense of foreboding even while he could almost smell the straw on the dirt floor and the popcorn the circus-goers would have (or maybe that was the popcorn in the theater lobby).   Then the scene shifted, changing into something dark and rainy.  Lightning flashed as a mother elephant was reaching her trunk out through cage bars trying to touch her baby. The baby was straining its little trunk upward trying desperately to touch his mother. His tears blended with the rain falling on them both, and a slow, haunting melody floated up from the scene:

“ _Baby mine, don’t you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes…_ ”  

Dick’s vision telescoped like a Hitchcock film.  His eyes grew big and he felt frozen in place, his heart racing, captured in time by a trauma that wouldn’t let him go. 

“ _….close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine._ ”  

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move - as if his feet were stuck fast to the floor.  He just stood staring at the screen, caught by memories.  The movie trailer faded from his vision and his mind’s eye was filled with images. Like it was yesterday, he saw his father holding his hand while Dick practiced his balance and back flips while walking on raised planks. He saw his mother hugging him before he launched off the trapeze on practice runs.  Then his mother’s arms were reaching toward him as she fell away to her death.  Her eyes wide, desperate…lost. He couldn’t reach her or help. The sound of snapping wires and the gasp of a horrified crowd filled his ears, just as a hand came down on his shoulder.

“Hey Rob. All set tickets in hand and ready to roll” Wally said as he stepped in front of Dick, coming between him and the preview screen. Wally’s expression immediately shifted to concern.

“What’s wrong?  What happened?” he asked, eyes full of worry.

Dick looked up at Wally but couldn’t get any words past his tight throat.  He turned away and walked quickly toward the theater entrance, moving a few paces to one side where there were fewer people and to get away from that preview screen. To get away from the crowd which was suddenly too much, too loud and too many people.

Wally approached Dick carefully, trying to figure out what was happening with his friend. Dick tried for a reassuring smile, but he was pretty sure it came out lame and rather sad.

“Sorry Walls, I just….” He wiped the moisture from his eyes that he hadn’t realized was there moments ago.  “It’s just…a bit much.  Stupid really.”

“What is?” Wally asked, placing a hand on Dick’s arm, trying to comfort him from whatever this was.

Dick took a deep breath. It felt like the first breath he’d taken since that trailer started playing.  “I was just remembering my parents, and… all that” Dick finished feeling almost apologetic. 

“Sorry if I’m being lame. I don’t want to ruin your surprise.  It was really thoughtful.  I just…  I can’t.”

Wally was confused not understanding what was upsetting Dick so much. He was never upset by being around circuses.  Heck, they’d even gone to a few together over the years.  Wally glanced up at a spot behind Dick’s shoulder where a series of movie posters were prominently displayed.  The Dumbo poster caught his eye. At the center was the image of a baby elephant with big sad eyes and in the upper left corner was a (mother?) elephant being hauled away in a cage. 

Then he remembered about that part of the movie. 

Oh, shit.

Wally felt like crap. 

“No, I’m sorry Dick.  I forgot about the sad parts of that movie.  I just saw ‘circus movie’ and thought it would be perfect.”

Dick’s mouth quirked into a regretful smile.  “I know, and it was a good thought, really.”

Just then, they were passed by a small girl holding her mother’s hands and pleading “Mommy, but I love elephants!  Its Dumbo!  Can we go? Please!”   She was tugging on both her mother’s hands leading her into the theater toward the ticket counter. 

“Honey, that’s a special show.  See the sign? It says ‘sold out’ that means there are no more tickets.”   “Besides,” the mom was clearly trying to make the best of it, “the SpatterKids movie is fun. You’ll see.” 

The little girl wasn’t ready to give up yet.  “But you could ask the ticket lady” she pleaded. “There might be something. She might let us in if we ask nice!” 

Dick looked into Wally’s eyes and broke into a grin.  He held up Wally’s hand that was holding the tickets and raised his eyebrows silently asking the question.  Wally glanced at the tickets and then at the girl and her mother, a slow smile spreading on his face. “Go for it.”

Dick’s grin got even bigger as he took the tickets and walked over to the pair.  Wally heard a bit of the conversation. 

“Excuse me mam.  My friend and I got called away and can’t stay for the show.  Could you and your little girl use these tickets to the Dumbo premier?” Dick asked. 

A moment later Dick was walking back to Wally. He was grinning from ear to ear.  

Wally watched the girl hopping up and down in excitement as she and her mother stood in line for popcorn.  The mother looked at the pair of them and although she was too far away to hear, the “thank you’ on her lips was easily readable. 

“Hey Wally,” Dick said “thanks for the birthday present.  That really was perfect.”

 


End file.
